How To Wash Vintage Wrangler Jeans

Knowing how to wash vintage Wrangler jeans is easier than washing regular jeans. If you ruin them, who's to know? They probably already have bleach spots, oil stains, paint splatters and who knows how many rips and tears. But the one thing on your vintage Wrangler jeans that shouldn't be vintage is the dirt and smell. No matter how worn-out the vintage Wrangler jeans might look, that's no excuse for musty smelling sweat and old, caked-on dirt. So here's how to wash vintage Wrangler jeans without actually making them look all new again.

Set the washing machine cycle to the hand wash or delicate setting. If your washing machine does not have such a cycle, fill a bathtub or utility sink with cool water instead.

Pour a little detergent into the washing machine's detergent area. Don't use as much detergent as is listed on the label because it's a crock. The detergent manufacturers are just trying to get you to buy more detergent sooner by using more per load. Since it's just a single pair of jeans, use only the size of a quarter of detergent.

Put your vintage Wrangler jeans into the washing machine. No, don't wind them up in a little ball. Untangle the legs and lay them neatly in the basin, if that's humanly possible for you.

Begin the wash cycle. Make sure the jeans fully go through the rinse cycle as well to make sure you remove all traces of detergent. If you're washing the jeans in the bathtub or utility tub, let them soak for a few minutes, then rub the fabric together gently to loosen dirt and odors. Rinse them out using cool water.

Place your vintage Wrangler jeans into the dryer on a low, cool setting. You might have to dry them more than once, as low settings in the dryer tend to not really do all that much good when drying.